Drew Peterson's Jailhouse Interview

Published Jul 17, 2009 at 7:19 PM

Receive the latest archive updates in your inbox

Former police sergeant Drew Peterson yukked it up as he was led into the Will County courthouse last week. But he says it's just his nature to make fun.

Accused murderer Drew Peterson seems to be taking his incarceration lightly, but he swears he's just a funny guy.

The former suburban Chicago police officer made jokes as he was led into a courtroom last week to face first-degree murder charges in the drowning death of his third wife Kathleen Savio.

"Three squares a day and this spiffy new outfit, how could I complain?" he said as he was escorted, in chains, into an Illinois courthouse by State police officers. "Look at all this bling!"

This morning, Peterson told Matt Lauer on the Today Show that he’s not being flip, he’s just being himself.

"There's no book written on how I'm supposed to act. Would it be better if I hid my head down and tried to hide my face and hunched over and had tears in my eyes?" Peterson said to Lauer by phone Thursday morning. "I mean, no, that's just not me."

Peterson, who was arrested for allegedly killing Savio, is also facing an indictment for the killing of his fourth wife Stacy Peterson. Peterson has taunted the media and public about his innocence in the disappearance of Stacy, whom he said abandoned him and their children. Soon a Grand Jury, which today is hearing testimony from Peterson’s stepbrother, will decide if he should stand trial for that murder as well.

Peterson told Lauer that he will probably be out of jail soon.

“I’m also thinking that I’ll be released on bond and probably be found innocent,” he said.

Part of his confidence, he told Lauer, comes from the fact that he passed polygraph questions about Savio’s disappearance. He also said that the grand jury that indicted him last week was flawed, because it's a bunch of "regular people" who don't understand the law.

“The grand jury system needs to be revised,” he said to Lauer. “I honestly believe they could have indicted you [Matt].”

He said he doubts the evidence against him and believes he was arrested because public pressure mounted for the prosecution.

Peterson is being held in a brand new jail facility in Joliet, Illinois that he says is very comfortable. He told Lauer that he talks to his four children every day and that they expect him home.

Peterson’s is being held on $20 million bond and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.